Shanghai rolls out regulation to promote AI industry development

SHANGHAI -- The local legislature in Shanghai on Thursday passed a regulation on boosting the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

The regulation, China's first provincial-level one in the AI sector, is to go into effect on Oct 1. AI is one of the three leading industries that Shanghai seeks to develop through the concentration of resources.

Local authorities will promote the building and use of public computing resource platforms and provide public computing power support for AI technology and industrial development, according to the regulation.

The regulation seeks to promote overall innovation and breakthroughs in the AI industry by supporting the development of the AI core industries and strengthening the agglomeration of AI enterprises.

The city will explore grading management and sandbox supervision, a flexible supervision system for technological innovation, to stimulate the innovation capacity of various entities and expand the development space for the AI industry, it said.

The regulation also stipulates that an expert committee on AI-related ethics should be established and the protection of user groups, including the elderly, the disabled, women and minors, should be strengthened.